Students and their
Schools
The typical American student spends
six hours a day, five days a week, 180 days a year in school. Children in the
United States start preschool or nursery school at age four or under. Most
children start kindergarten at five years of age.
Students attend elementary schools
(grades one through six) and then middle school or junior high school (grades
seven through nine). Secondary, or high schools, are usually 10th through 12th
grades (ages 15 through 18).
In 1988, about 45.4 million students
were enrolled in schools (elementary and secondary) in the United States. Students
may attend either public schools or private schools. About 83 percent of
Americans graduate from secondary schools and 60 percent continue their studies
and receive some form of post-high school education. Approximately 20.3 percent
graduate from four-year colleges and universities.
School attendance is required in all
50 states. In 32 states, students must attend school until they are 16 years
old. In nine other states, the minimum age for leaving school is 17. Eight
states require schooling until the age of 18, while one state allows students
to leave school at 14.
How are American schools changing?
The quality of education in the United States has often been debated in the
course of American history. During the 1960s and 1970s, many schools offered a
wide variety of nonacademic courses, such as "driver's education" and
"marriage and family living." Educators were worried that students
were not taking enough "academic" courses, such as mathematics and
English. Many other reports soon came out with recommendations calling for
stricter high school requirements.
In the early 1980s, the United
States National Commission on Excellence in Education issued a report called
"A Nation at Risk," reporting that "a rising tide of mediocrity
threatens our very future as a nation." Educators were worried that
students were not learning as much as they should. Scores on high school
seniors' Scholastic Aptitude Tests (college entrance examinations) had declined
almost every year from 1963 to 1980. "A Nation at Risk" also reported
that 13 percent of 17-year-olds were functionally illiterate (unable to read
and write).
Schools began to answer the
challenge. Most states and school districts have passed new, more demanding
standards that students must meet before they can graduate from high school.
Most high schools now require four years of English, three years each of
mathematics, science and social studies, one-and-one-half years of computer
science and up to four years of a foreign language.
Business organizations, realizing
that their future employees needed skills that could be learned in schools,
pitched in to help. In Boston, for example, the business community offered jobs
and scholarships to students who stayed in school to graduate. In other
communities, companies "adopted" certain schools, usually in
low-income areas, and provided tutoring, scholarships and other help. By 1988,
there were 141,000 educational "partnerships." According to the U.S.
Department of Education, more than 40 percent of the nation's schools and 9
million students are involved in some sort of partnership program. Corporations
have also given grants to universities to improve teacher education.
Educators believe these and other
methods to improve education are beginning to show results, and that U.S.
schools are at least reversing the previous decline. Tests showed that student
achievement in science and mathematics, which had declined during the 1970s,
improved during the 1980s—although performance in reading and writing either
declined or stayed the same. Average scores on the mathematics section of the
Scholastic Aptitude Tests (college entrance exams) increased by a significant
ten points between 1980 and 1990—although they were still substantially below
the average in 1970. But scores on the verbal section of the test hovered
around the 1980 level—more than thirty points below the 1970 level. Critics
point out that U.S. students consistently score lower on academic
tests—especially in math and science—than their counterparts in Europe and Japan.
They believe the longer school year and more rigorous requirements in those
other countries produce superior achievement. And they cite a study by the
National Institute of Mental Health which showed that high school seniors had
spent more time in front of a television screen (15,000 hours) than they had
spent in school (11,000 hours).
High school students can take
vocational courses that prepare them to perform specific jobs, such as that of
a carpenter or an automobile mechanic. Advanced courses prepare other students
for university or college study. Special education (for the handicapped
student) is offered in most schools. Schools enroll about three million
handicapped students.
At least 85 percent of all public
high schools have computers. Students are writing computer programs and
creating charts, art and music on computers.
Many parents are involved in working
for better quality education in the United States. Parents are joining
parent-teacher organizations, tutoring their children, raising money for
special programs and helping to keep schools in good repair.
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